New England Law Events

Bar Preparation

This is a general pathway for planning to take a sequence of courses that can enhance your ability to pass a bar examination. This pathway has been developed as a supplement to the several pathways designed to increase your knowledge and skills for practicing in particular areas of law. You should consider this pathway with special care if you reasonably anticipate that bar passage will be a special challenge for you. You may also blend the sequence of courses shown on this pathway with courses selected on another pathway.

Almost all graduates will write bar examinations in states that require that you pass the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). The six subjects tested on the MBE are: (1) Constitutional Law, (2) Contracts, (3) Criminal Law and Procedure, (4) Evidence, (5) Real Property, and (6) Torts. All of these subjects are given substantial coverage in required courses. However, several elective courses have been recognized as being especially helpful in preparing for the MBE. For example, Sales covers many of the topics tested under Contracts on the MBE, Modern Real Estate Transactions covers many topics tested under Real Property, and Products Liability covers several topics tested under Torts. These courses may be particularly helpful if you struggled with the material covered in the required courses. Additionally, you may want to firm up your understanding of all of these areas by taking Advanced Legal Analysis during your last semester.

Each state administers its own bar examination. Therefore, every student should check with the jurisdiction in which he or she intends to apply for admission to ascertain that jurisdiction’s bar examination topics. In addition, students are expected to take a commercial bar examination preparation course after graduation. These commercial courses will assist students with coverage of the topics tested in their respective jurisdictions.